Mometasonefuroate Methylprednisolone aceponate Prednicarbate Hydrocortisone butyrate Clobetasol propionate Betamethasone valerate Triamcinolone acetate Hydrocortisone Vasoconstriction (4) 8 8 8 8 12 8 8 4 Efficacy for atopic dermatitis compared to other TCs (5) 10 10 10 10 15 10 10 5 Total A 18 18 18 18 27 18 18 9 Skin atrophy (6) 6 6 6 6 12 12 12 6 HPA axis suppression (2) 2 2 2 2 4 2 4 2 Allergenic potential (1) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Total B 9 9 9 9 17 15 17 9 Therapeutic Index (Total A/Total B) 2 2 2 2 1.5 1.2 1.06 1 ATC/DDD Index III III III II IV III II I HPA: hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal; TC: Topical corticosteroid

Table 1: Therapeutic Index (TIX) of commonly used topical corticosteroids. (Adapted from the German Guidelines [25]). The TIX is calculated as the ratio between efficacy criteria (Total A) and adverse effects criteria (Total B). Each criteria is scored between 0 and 3 and weighted by a correction factor (in brackets).